Your Corrupt, Morally Bereft, Incompetent, Scheming, Lying Government and You

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EXPLOSIVE TESTIMONY

Whistleblower from Trudeau's $1 Billion Green Slush Fund testifies:

$150 million in taxpayer money misappropriated.

Habitual conflicts of interest violations by Liberal appointed board members.

Coordinated effort by government to coverup.
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WATCH pic.twitter.com/ppXsGNqLzK

— Michael Barrett (@MikeBarrettON) December 12, 2023

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The federal government knew for several months of serious governance, conflict-of-interest and human-resources infractions at its main funding agency for green technology, but softened a report that detailed the evidence to keep senior leaders in place, the whistleblower who made the initial complaints testified on Monday.

Israr Ahmad, a former employee at Sustainable Development Technology Canada who revealed himself as a whistleblower for the first time, told a House of Commons industry committee hearing that senior bureaucrats had kept him apprised weekly of the probe into the agency from its start early this year. As late as the first week of September, the ministry in charge was planning to replace the management and board owing to what they described as a “board failure all-together,” he said.

In the following weeks, however, officials at the department in charge, Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada, changed tack, and released a report that identified shortcomings in conflict-of-interest reporting and funding that appeared to be outside SDTC’s mandate, Mr. Ahmad said. Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne kept the management and board in place to complete a series of measures to improve governance and financial practices. He suspended the agency’s ability to grant money until those measures were completed. Mr. Ahmad alleged this amounts to a coverup.

Mr. Ahmad conducted investment and due diligence at SDTC from 2020 to 2022. He told the committee he is one of a few former employees able to speak about the federally funded nonprofit because he left of his own accord and is not bound by a nondisclosure agreement. The industry committee chair advised members not to use his name in the hearing, but his image was webcast and The Globe and Mail is able to confirm his identity.

In testimony before the House ethics committee last month, Doug McConnachie, assistant deputy minister at ISED, said he had been baited by the whistleblower into “making these speculative and inappropriate remarks” about terminating SDTC officials, and that they were selectively taken from more than 30 hours of conversations. His remarks were recorded during briefings with the whistleblower and subsequently leaked to the media.

On Monday, his boss at ISED, deputy minister Simon Kennedy, told the industry committee that he could not account for why his staffer said what he did on the tapes.

Mr. Ahmad disputes this.

“The real truth of the matter is, there was a definitive consensus across the bureaucracy at both ISED and (the Privy Council Office) that the full board and executive team at SDTC needed to be terminated. This was described to us in detail on multiple occasions in late August and September,” Mr. Ahmad said. “The outcome of the situation only changed when the minister’s office became involved, and he is ultimately responsible for SDTC, He’s the one who needs to tell the truth about what the real situation is.”

The testimony before the industry committee represents the latest in a series of developments surrounding the embattled federal agency, which has been a key source of funding for early-stage technology for more than two decades, having granted more than $1.6-billion to entrepreneurs. Its ability to provide grants to entrepreneurs remains frozen.

The investigation, conducted by Ottawa accounting firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, was triggered by a voluminous file of allegations presented to the government by Mr. Ahmad and his colleagues consisting of current and former SDTC employees. The report showed evidence of inappropriate funding, breaches of conflict-of-interest rules and human resources deficiencies. Mr. Ahmad said he estimates that up $150-million could have been granted improperly.

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In Dubai Canada announced a cap-and-trade approach to oil and gas emissions but argued it won’t actually stop oil and gas production outright. The provinces, who yet again weren’t consulted, may not agree. Besides, promises are one thing. The record is another.

It also emerged in Dubai that the Emirates, seventh largest oil producer, is expecting to increase its production by a million barrels a day (mbd) by 2030. This is not a new trend. According to the U.S. Energy Information Service, the UAE increased production of oil and hydrocarbon liquids like coal oil by 15.3 per cent between 2015 and 2022, from 3.7 mbd to 4.2, fourth-most of all oil-producing economies. That’s much faster than world output, which was up only 3.6 per cent since 2015, reaching 100.1 mbd last year.

The irony — maybe even the hypocrisy — is that three countries in the Americas have increased their petroleum output even more than this Middle Eastern oil sheikhdom has: the U.S., Brazil and, yes, us: Canada.

The Biden administration, which is promising 2030 emissions will be half 2005 levels, has so far failed to stymie oil and gas development. U.S. petroleum and liquids production has soared by 33.9 per cent since 2015, reaching 20.3 mbd in 2022. Two-fifths of the increase has been on Biden’s watch. The U.S., not Saudi Arabia, is now the world’s leading oil producer, accounting for fully 20 per cent of global supply.

The Trudeau government has pledged that 2030 oil and gas emissions will be 42 per cent lower than in 2005. This has led to tensions with the oil- and gas-producing provinces, which are resisting emissions caps for oil, gas and electricity. Ottawa’s opposition to liquefied natural gas sales even as the U.S. and Qatar are making great inroads in the world market has had industry leaders scratching their heads. Even so, since the Liberals came to power in 2015, Canada’s oil and gas production has grown second fastest globally, at 26.7 per cent, to reach 5.6 mbd last year. Much of this growth is due to big investments in the oil sands before 2015 but the production increase has been accommodated by pipeline expansion, with the federally-owned TMX soon to come on stream.

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Steven and the angry voice in his head don't walk anywhere:

The Alberta government is pushing back against Ottawa’s newly announced framework for a cap-and-trade system that’s designed to have the oil and gas industry cut emissions by more than one-third from 2019 levels by 2030.

The framework was published early Thursday with draft regulations to projected come in the spring ahead of final regulations slated to be put in place in 2025.

It states the oil-and-gas sector will have to reduce emissions from 35 to 38 per cent below 2019 levels by 2030, while also claiming that wouldn’t necessarily amount to a production cap.

Those proportions can be reduced to between 20 and 23 per cent through either the purchase of carbon credits, or via contributions to a decarbonization fund.

In announcing the framework, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault noted oil and gas is the largest emitting sector in the country, and that it was time to get to the “nitty gritty” of the proposed framework.

“We owe it to Canadians and to the rest of the world to address these emissions, as we owe it to our workers and businesses to ensure that Canada’s well earned reputation for energy innovation remains our strong suit for the 21st century,” he said.

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If the shoe polish fits ... :

Conservative MP Damien Kurek was kicked out the House of Commons for accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of being a liar, and then refusing to apologize for it.

 

Because it's true.

 

The narcissist just can't stand criticism or admit failure, just like his dad:

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security adviser, Jody Thomas, told a conference that “misinformation and disinformation” represented the “threat of a generation” to Canadian security. She was referencing foreign disinformation campaigns ginned up by the likes of Russia or China to skew domestic politics and alter electoral results.

At the same time, the Trudeau government has also developed a habit of reacting to almost every criticism or setback as an example of “misinformation and disinformation.” In just the last year, Liberal MPs have uttered the word “misinformation” in the House of Commons or in Parliamentary committees no less than 278 times. ...

The carbon tax being a strain on household budgets

When Liberals and Conservatives get into a verbal tug-of-war over who is more guilty of trafficking in misinformation, the topic is usually the carbon tax. Specifically, on whether the tax is a strain or a boon to the average household budget.

The Conservatives say it’s a net negative, given that it makes fuel more expensive. While the Liberals counter that most Canadians are actually made richer from the tax due to quarterly rebates paid out in the form of the climate action incentive payment.

There are good sources on both sides. The Liberals can point to official estimates showing that for most income groups, the rebates are expected to outweigh any carbon taxes they’ve paid on heating bills or at the gas station. The Tories, meanwhile, have a report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer saying that when the economy-wide implications of the tax are factored in, most Canadians will indeed suffer a “net loss.”

But according to the Liberals, it’s misinformation to claim the latter. “What we see from the Conservatives, yet again, is misinformation,” Trudeau said on Oct. 31, in relation to a question about carbon taxes on natural gas. “The price on pollution applied to natural gas does put more money back in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians across the country.”

 

(Sidebar: this unpopular tax is not going anywhere for now despite the best efforts of the Tories whose filibustering efforts served to show how utterly indifferent the Liberals are to governance and the concerns of the taxpayer. Indeed, the Liberals spent their time during the debate binging Netflix, eating and otherwise wasting time because I guess that is what they are paid to do.)

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The hall monitor doesn't have to face consequence the way little people do:

During Greg Fergus’s appearance before the procedure and House Affairs committee ahead of potential disciplinary action, Liberal MP Sherry Romanado told Fergus the committee had “received letters supporting you.”

Those supportive letters didn’t come from members of the public but from Liberal politicians, according to Conservative committee member Eric Duncan. Duncan had asked that the letters be added to the record with information on who sent them.

“Liberals wanted everyone watching to know that members of our committee received ‘anonymous letters’ supporting Greg Fergus as Speaker,” Duncan subsequently wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. 

“Unfortunately, the metadata evidence shows that these letters were written by a Liberal appointed Senator and a former Liberal MP.”

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Commons Speaker Greg Fergus yesterday apologized 13 times and pleaded with the House affairs committee to “move on” as MPs weighed his fitness for office. A total 149 MPs have demanded Fergus resign for breach of rules on impartiality: “Like anyone who starts a new job I am working and learning on the job.”

 

Bull. Sh--.

You know what the job is and what is expected of you, hall monitor. 

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But the party is already a form of mafia:

Organized crime groups are attempting to “infiltrate” government agencies and departments, a report obtained by Global News suggests.

The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) reported in 2022 that 29 organized crime groups reportedly have “influence and access” within the public sector, while at least 369 groups are believed to be trying to gain a toehold in government.

The CISC report notes that Canada ranks low for public sector corruption, but also notes the risk: criminal “infiltration” can boost the cost of government projects by up to 50 per cent, while also damaging public confidence in institutions.

The “infiltration” is primarily taking place within local and “regional” governments, the CISC suggests, and groups “may be using the benefits of this access for interprovincial or international criminal activities.”

The report is a rare look at the scope of organized crime groups operating in Canada — believed to be more than 3,000 in 2022, according to the CISC. It also provides hard numbers on the “infiltration” phenomenon, well-documented in the United States but less so in Canada.